justaBXmom.com

justaBXmom.com

Disney Divas

Disney Divas

You already know that Walt Disney World is the most magical place on Earth. There’s not much more I can share to make that more believable. What I will share are some of the tips I have learned both by listening to others and through the experience of going two years in a row.

First, we go for Minime’s birthday (January). That means the weather can do whatever it likes. I spoke about this in Seaworld Shenanigans too. Be prepared. Bring layers. It’s hard to wait in line if you are uncomfortable (too hot or too cold). And you will wait in line (more on that later)!

Second, bring snacks and drinks. You will be doing lots of walking so you will need to keep your energy up. Bring bottles of water, juice boxes, granola bars and any other types of snacks/food you can fit in your bag or on your carriage.

Third, bring a stroller. I like using Minime’s biggest carriage because there’s a lot of storage space to hold bags, souvenirs and coats if it gets warm enough to take them off. I lso like having a big one so that Minime can recline for her nap.

Fourth, look for different ways to bring home souvenirs. It is really easy to spend money at Disney. There are ways to get around leaving all of your money there. On Main Street visit the Fire House. There you can start a really cool challenge. The challenge also gets you a free pack of trading cards for every paid ticket. Minime is still young to really play the game but we bring the cards home. You can also get a free Pirate Map in Adventureland. We love popcorn so it is one snack we buy at the park. You can get a souvenir bucket. We are currently using ours to hold crayons, chalk, markers and colored pencils. You can also get souvenir mugs. We bought hot chocolate for $5.25 in a souvenir mug this year and last year I brought home a cup from Gaston’s Tavern. Last year Minime got autographs on index cards supplied by the characters because I didn’t think to bring a book and didn’t want to spend money on one there. This year I bought her a Minnie Mouse notebook from our local discount store.

Fifth, it’s going to be busy. If you do not want to wait in line it might not be the right place for you. We go from opening to closing and I have noticed that once the sun starts setting the lines tend to be a lot shorter. We actually were able to go on some of our favorite rides more than once as it got later. One ride though that we waited for a little longer than an hour and were told that the line rarely goes shorter is the Peter Pan ride. Minime loves this ride for some reason. Last year we went during the afternoon and had to wait close to two hours. So, I suggest if you see a line is really long and you don’t have fastpasses for it then try again later.

And finally, remember you are there to have fun. I get it. You want to plan every moment of the day. You don’t want to miss anything. You will miss something. The park is huge and life happens. That doesn’t mean your day isn’t a success. Did you smile more than you scream? Did you laugh more than you cried? Congratulations. You had a good day!

Bonus Tip: Get a Memory Maker. I’ve seen this debated on different sites. It is expensive (unless you really think about how many photos you can get). In my opinion it is so worth it. I go to Downtown Disney (or whatever they call it now) and do a mini photo session with Minime at the photo studio in guest relations. Most people only use this studio if they’ve visited the Bibbidy Boppity Boutique. I’m still in the air about that place. The kids look so cute but they all look alike (as they should since they’re dressed up as Disney Princesses). I would rather Minime stay looking like herself. Anyway, I digress. I take her for the mini photoshoot and even get a few photos of us together. Once we are at Magic Kingdom I ask every Disney photographer to take our photo. I’m not sure if it was because of the weather but I think I saw less photographers this year than last but we still took a whole heap of photos. And I take photos on my phone. This is a great way to be a part of the experience. I go alone with Minime so the Memory Maker allows me to be in more photos than if I didn’t buy it. Even if you go with others it’s a great way to capture moments.